My
introduction to basketball began when I was twelve years old and in the
7th grade
at Thomas Star King Junior High School in Los Angeles. I was chosen to be
on the
basketball team because I was tall to compete against the 8th grade team
in my P. E. class.

When I got to high school I tried out and made the JV Basketball where I
began to take
the game a little more serious by putting up a basketball hoop over my
garage where I practiced for hours on end. It is then that I developed a great love and
passion for the
game. I was named the All Area MVP in my second year on the JV team. I
played on the
varsity team my senior year at the same John Marshall High in Los Angeles.

I have two daughters and five grandchildren who are all very athletic. My
oldest, Heidi,
was named All Area MVP at Hoover High in Glendale in 1987. Her daughter, Hallie, was
named the Laguna Beach Boys & Girls Club MVP two years running. So
needless to say
the love for basketball is a family matter.

In 2001, I began teaching basketball for a non profit organization called
Young
Champions in Cerritos, California. In those days the LA Lakers were
winning
championships with the two superstars, Kobe & Shaq. That brought the kids
out in droves. I would instruct upwards of 100 kids at times every Tuesday
afternoon. Then a couple years later a new facility opened up in my
neighborhood in Glendale at the Pacific Community Center. I was
interviewed and got the position and have been there ever since. I would
guess that nearly 2000 kids (ages 5-13) have attended my classes.

My mission statement and philosophy would be to introduce and teach as
many kids as I can for as long as I can this great game of basketball; a
game that brings people together. It is my goal to inspire these children
through a series of life lessons in self-confidence, caring and consideration of others. I take my position as a
mentor and role model very serious and it is my hearts content to make a
difference in the lives of the children that attend my classes.